Conventionally, read-only recording media such as CD (Compact Disk) and the like are used as a form for distribution of application software products. After the distribution of these software products, a case often occurs in which a program defect is corrected or a functional improvement is added, thus making information recorded on the CD old information.
In order to deal with such a case, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-117767, for example, proposes a method in which when information recorded on a recording medium is used, an application on the recording medium is started, latest rereading table information is obtained from an update information server or the like via a network, and the information recorded on the recording medium is used on the basis of the rereading table information.
Also, in the case of some applications, when the application software distributed by recording media is installed, the applications are first installed using a setup recorded on the recording media, identify a list of functions to be used after the installation, periodically check an information providing server via a network, and update functions when there is a difference.
Further, there are some applications that, at a time of setup of the applications, start a setup recorded on a recording medium, inquire of an information providing server whether there is a setup newer than the setup recorded on the recording medium, and when there is a setup newer than the setup recorded on the recording medium, download the setup from the information providing server, and then perform installation using the new setup.
As described above, the application software distributed by recording media first installs or starts the setup recorded on the recording media, inquires of the information providing server, and then installs the newest setup, whereby the newest functions can be updated and retained.
Recently, music content distribution service (EMD (Electronic Music Distribution)) having a copyright managing function has been developing using networks and CDs. In a case of a leakage of a cryptographic key or breaking of an encryption method of the copyright managing function by a malicious person, EMD deals with the case by updating the managing function of software to a new managing function and updating a functional generation.
In the case of EMD distribution using CDs, however, even when a server is to be accessed using software fixed within a CD as in the above-described software to obtain newest functions, the server cannot be accessed using the software fixed within the CD due to a leakage of a cryptographic key or breaking of an encryption method of a managing function of the software fixed within the CD. It is therefore difficult to support EMD with the updated functional generation.
Furthermore, in the case of the above-described software, while it is possible to update one piece of software with newest functions, even when a plurality of pieces of software using the same functions are present in a PC, at a time of updating the functions of the one piece of software, the functions of the other pieces of software cannot be updated simultaneously even though the functions of the other pieces of software are the same as those of the one piece of software.